1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a device which detwists continuous tubular knit fabric such as when it leaves a bleaching kier or washer.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention
The processing of continuous knitted fabrics has seen improvements in recent years in its efforts to keep the fabric free of twists which may hinder or hamper further processing. One such device is that seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,131, ('131) which is herein incorporated by reference. The '131 patent offers a lengthy and well illustrated history of the problems facing the industry. However, the '131 device. is not able to effectively handle larger fabrics with excessive torque. The apparatus according to the current invention is designed to detwist fabrics which cannot be optimally detwisted by the prior art apparatus.
It is thus a further objective of the present invention to provide a detwisting apparatus which incorporates gutters to protect the circular drive mechanism from an abrasive environment thereby increasing the life of the drive components.
It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide a detwisting apparatus which uses a chain and sprocket mechanism to drive a cylinder to detwist a flaccid mass of continuous fabric.
It is another objective to provide a method of detwisting bulky or large fabric which has excessive twist inherent in its construction.
These and other objectives and advantages will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawing figures.